EPA to Crack Down on Ballast Dumping - Paint Square - Paint and Coatings Industry News

Posted - Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - Paint Square - Paint and Coatings Industry New

Under pressure from conservation and fishing groups, the Environmental Protection Agency has agreed in an out-of-court settlement to establish a single, strong system of regulations to control ballast water discharges.
The regulations will toughen federal oversight of ships that dump ballast water in U.S. harbors, a leading way in which invasive species are spread.
The settlement requires EPA to complete scientific reviews of the steps that ships should take to kill or filter living organisms in ballast water. The agency has agreed to publish a draft of a new so-called Vessel General Permit by November and to issue a new permit by late 2012 that would take effect on Jan. 1, 2014.

2008 Permits Challenged

The agreement, filed March 8 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, resolves a 2009 lawsuit that challenged the EPA’s 2008 Vessel General Permit (VGP), officially known as the "Final National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit for Discharges Incidental to the Normal Operation of a Vessel" (73 Fed. Reg. 79).
Ballast water is typically drawn in from, and discharged directly to, ambient waters. Many factors influence the discharge rate and constituent concentrations, but the water typically teems with fish, bacteria, waste and other organisms. It may also include antifoulant coating traces and related chemicals, experts say.

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